Okknos Prime: Bonifant

Our heroes, after causing a stir in the Summer Court, flee toward Winter’s Peak to have Galendan speak with their dead gnome. Along the way, Sam wondered aloud if they needed the whole body. It was determined that only the mouth would be needed. Without further ado Sam dropped the body and with a swift blow dislodged the head from the body. The body was then tossed off the road and into a ditch. Sam and Rathal then thought that they would cheer the party up as they walked with a happy little ditty. They pulled out their flutes and played together. The party instantly heard the skill and aptitude that one of the players possessed. Considering his Faunish upbringing there was no competition. Sam played well for a man carrying a gnome head under his arm, no easy feat.

Their musical endeavors were cut short by the sound of hoof beats back the way they had come from. The party quickly hid in the treeline and Jace blinked out of existence. An elven scouting party rode down the path, assumedly looking for the heroes. The adventurers then decided that it would be safer to travel through the forest instead of on the path. Lucian the Ten’i’dor stepped forward to determine the best path. He searched for a moment before the ranger pointed and said, “That way.”

He tried but Lucian could not hide how impressed he was. Rathal stepped up and patted him on the back. “Don’t worry,” he said consolingly. “I’m sure you would’ve found it eventually.” They eventually decided to set up camp. The Tenidor gathered kindling and other fallen pieces of wood. As soon as he cleared the area and pulled out his fire-starting supplies but before he could strike the flint Ularalu sent his carefully constructed wood pile ablaze with A LOT OF FIRE. Rathal came up to him again and patted him on the back. “Today just isn’t your day is it?”

Around the fire Sam told the story of Ra’thal (not to be confused with Rathal). Ra’thal was his long-lost love. They had grown together, trained together, she was the female version of him in all respects. She was skilled, formidable, and brash. She entered an orc encampment where she was killed. Sam avenged her death, but his broken heart never truly healed.

After Sam’s sad tale, Kanyr took Rathal aside and shoved a practice sword in his hands. “It’s time you learn to fight ‘boy’. Strike me.” Rathal looked at the sword in his hand. It was heavy and awkward for his small frame, but he tried to do as instructed. His first swing was ridiculously wide. His second fared little better. Sam tried shouting advice and the others also did the best they could to instruct the lad.

Rathal became frustrated. “This is ridiculous,” he thought to himself. “I could dispatch this warrior with a flick of my wrist. He would be cowering on the ground, clutching his gut or head or roasting alive in his armor. I could turn him into a rat or fill his lungs with poisoned air until he keels over with a fit of painful coughing spasms.” Rathal’s eyes suddenly lit up with an idea. He swung wide purposefully shielding his left hand from view. He quickly drew a knife and with deadly accuracy swung it towards Kanyr’s unsuspecting body. He pulled the blade up short and instead struck him with the pummel.

All eyes widened in surprise. “Tricks won’t save you in battle,” Kanyr barked angrily at Rathal.

“They don’t have to. They just have to work once” Rathal said with a bit more snarkiness than he customarily used.

The party then began a long discussion as to whether tricks should be used in combat or not. They all eventually turned in for the night and got some much-needed rest. The next day the ranger led them toward Winter’s Peak and the rest of the trip passed without incident. When they were about two hours away from their destination, snow began to fall. It intensified quickly and between the Ranger and Rathal determined that the snow was magical. A strong wind began to howl, snow began to kick up around them. The party huddled in their winter gear, or at least those who had it. Rathal manipulated a magical fire in his palms to keep himself warm. Keenen and Kanyr felt the bite of the wind as neither were prepared for the cold.

The party finally reached Winter’s Peak. Usually welcoming, the party was distraught to see that the gates were shut tight. They took turns scaling the wall and were greeted by a Vampire on the other side, the caretaker of Winter’s peak, or so he said. The adventurers learned that Galendan had left to collect the Fey Stone in order to destroy the world and recreate it in his own image. The ranger, ever quick thinking grabbed an arrow out of his quiver and held it over the Moon Well. The vampire yelled at him, cursing his foolishness. The Ranger smiled and dropped the arrow into the well.

With a large puff of snow and a loud trumpeting sound, a large Woolly Mammoth pooped out of the well (hence forth, by unanimous decision as Vinny (and by unanimous I mean by myself with no input from any one else (there is no discussion…His name is Vinny))). It swung its head wildly at the ranger who dodged and quickly calmed the large beast. Satisfied that it was not in danger, it wandered off to another part of the courtyard never to be seen again (Or is it?).

The heroes flew into action and fired off a few shots at the vampire. Rathal, who damaged him the most, was set upon by the vampire who grabbed him by the arm and attempted to bite him time and again. As the party rushed to help him, another smashed through a window of the mansion and attacked Kanyr with a vengeance. The party fought valiantly but the second vampire caught hold of Jace and sunk his teeth into his neck. Jace dislodged him but not before the vampire got a nice taste of his magic elven blood.

The vampires were soon defeated, and the heroes advanced on the mansion to search for clues as to where Galendan was headed and how much of a head start he might have. However, when they advanced they discovered that the mansion had iced over. Sam opened the gate while the rest of them attacked it with sword and fire, but it was persistent and grew back regardless of their actions. Suddenly a suit of armor approached the now open gates. The party turned ready for a fight. A female voice introduced herself as Julienne Volchiare (Jules for short), a hero of the Minotaur Wars, over 400 years ago.

The party discerned that she believed that the war was only two years ago. She recanted the tale of how she was cheated out of her rightful throne as heir to Vitalio. Her father did not see it this way and so she started a rebellion in order to retake the kingdom. The Wizard Gregorr cursed her and trapped her in a tree, from which she had only recently been freed from mysteriously.

Rathal took the lead and convinced her that she was 400 years in the future. She became upset and hurled her helmet clear across the courtyard. Rathal calmed her down and offered her a position with the group, until she found her bearings that is. Kanyr then offered to lead the party to the fey stone, not offering an explanation as to how he knew where it was. Jules joined the group and the party quickly left the courtyard to search for warmer weather.

Rathal was the last to leave the courtyard. He turned back to look at the Moon Well. He took one last look at a small object he had been clutching tight in his fist and then dropped it inside. He then rejoined the group before they noticed his absence. The party traveled down the mountain, their paths finally headed toward the Fey Stone that they’d long heard whispers about. As they traveled, the party seemed talkative and discussed the future and the past with Jules who was quite vocal about how she was deciding if she was going to burn down all Vitalio or not. Only one member was uncharacteristically quiet. Rathal’s usual smile was replaced with a set look of determination, and had the party only turned to look at him they would have noticed that the joy usually found in his eyes was replaced with a dead expression. What lay behind his dark expression? What dark thoughts could possibly drain the cheer from his piercing green eyes?

After a well deserved rest when returning to the summer court, Ularalu and Sinoqui both heard the sweet notes of a long forgotten tune. “Hyrsam!” Ularalu squelled as she flew out the door. The rest of the party followed the fairy to a small clearing where all manner of beings were prancing about. Rathal quickly joined the musicians. Three more came to join the festivities, Sam Hand, Ives and Keenan. Ives approached Jace and they spoke about the cure to the pale tincture. Sam Hand spoke with a woman who told him that Hyrsam was called the prince of fools. He then asked her to dance.
This celebration was only bettered by giving of gifts. The Faun Gardener who Jace had befriended approached him and gave him a cloak of falling stars. Hyrsam himself gave Rathal a ring that could be “Helpful in his journey.” A Gnome bumped into Lucian and spilled his drink all over him. He offered to trade his bow. Lucian then taught the entire crowd how to do the animal dance and it became the official dance of the Ten’i’dor.
The party eventually died out and Ularalu tells the three newcomers of the party’s plan to confront the Gnome. Ives gleefully suggested she burn him to which she was quite excited. The group left the dying party and made their introductions with their new friends. They made plans to meet the Prince and they finally settled on a plan of action. Azcavil would take Ives and Keenen to speak with him concerning the Gnome. While they did that, Sinoqui, Jace, Sam and Lucian stalked their gnome target to a bar where they would keep tabs on him until Prince Isolin gave the go ahead to question him. Azcavil and his team approached the prince who in turn went to fetch the treacherous Gnome. Keenan, at the behest of Azcavil stalked the prince who collected his guards and began a search for the gnome.
In the bar an Elf approached the Gnome who finished his drink and then promptly left, followed by Jace and Lucian. Sam who was busy drinking, didn’t notice them leaving and when he finally saw that he was alone, decided to go find Azcavil and his other friends.
The Gnome entered his home and a little while later an Elf left. Lucian watched the Elf head off toward the teleportation pools. Sinoqui chased after this elf, shooting arrows at him and cursing Lucian for his stupidity. Lucian ran to the door of the Gnome’s dwelling and found it empty. Realizing his mistake, he turned and fired his bow at the fleeing Gnome, disguised as an Elf. A commotion is started in the streets which make Ives, Sam and Rathal run to join the fight. Before they can reach it Sinoqui has put a blade to the Gnome’s back and forced him to surrender. The party gathers as the prince watches from afar. The Gnome begs the heroes to protect him. The party was going to ask him from whom when two fear smiths arrived. The party shot arrows and magic toward them and quickly dropped one. The second killed Dimble before it could be brought down. Keenen who was still secretly following the prince decided it would be wise to set his house ablaze to distract his eyes from the battle. His diversion worked, and he left to see what was happening at his home.
After the battle, the party collected the Gnome’s dead body and left for Winter’s Peak to speak with Galadin in hopes that he could collect information from the corpse. As the heroes made their escape, the prince collected information on those who witnessed the attack. He vowed that the perpetrators would be brought to justice for their heinous actions. But there was another vow made that day. A vow by a young sorcerer. A vow that the prince, and all his treachery, would not be much longer for this world.

The evening started alright. Dinner was on the table, attendants were all there, everything would’ve been great, until the orc started screaming. “WHERE IS AZCAVIL? I KNOW HE WASWITHYOU AT THENIGHTMAREPALACE! WHERE IS HE?” All in the room fell silent. The group exchanged furtive glances, unsure of what to do or say. The small voice of Rathal breaks the silence. He explains that he was the Azcavil that Grom had heard about at the nightmare palace. Rathal explained how he had once met this Azcavil and as a way of camouflage and protection he adopted the persona from time to time. Once Grom settled down the feast began. The heroes were thanked by those whom they saved from the hag.
After dinner Lucian and the Ranger took Rathal aside to have another chat about Azcavil. Rathal echoed his early statements claiming he had only met Azcavil the one time. While they spoke with Rathal, the rest of the party was approached by Serena and Gesh the Dragonborn. They asked them to go and attack the hag for all the pain and suffering they suffered.
The party left for the hag’s place and the hag waited for them at the bottom of the hill to her house. She reminded Jarl of their deal and that breaking it would result in dire consequences. Jarl answered by attacking but the hag was only an illusion. The trees began to attack, her gnomes began to attack, and flaming skulls began to attack. Lucian fell and the whole party sustained many injuries. The group advanced toward the boot that tried to escape and Rathal polymorphed the whole thing into a turtle. Acting fast, Rathal and Jarl teleported with the turtle boot to winters peak. They rushed to the door to get Galendan’s help destroying the turtle-boot hybrid. They were told to drop it and fiery hell rained down from a copper dragon with a rider in the sky. The elven butler then came out and scrapped the remains off of the stoop.
With the hag destroyed and the party on the mend, the heroes began their trek to the Summer Court. When they arrived Jarl went and bought a pair of pastel pink pants with a cape of gold. And glitter! GOLDGLITTEREVERYWHERE! He also bought a musketeer hat with a pink feather.
Lucian went to meet with the Ten’i’dor. He met with Shanal his superior. Lucian relayed his report of the party and their actions, emphasizing their love of fire.Kanyr met with the leader of his organization. He asked about the Feystone and was told it was a myth. Kanyr then went on to ask about the Whispering Mountain. He was told that it lies to the west and that those who venture there often do not return and that there are many caves with devilish creatures residing there. Kanyr asked if any might know about the what lies in the west and was told that the centaur Pasark may know a bit about the area.

After the eventful happenings at the House of Scales, our heroes decided to speak with Adran, the happy potioneer who tried to poison half of the party at a dinner. Adran admitted to the heroes that he had been given supplies to make the pale tincture by a gnome attendant of Prince Isolin. The price to refine a single dose worth of ingredients is 500 GP and he made six for the gnome. He advised the heroes that in order to poison Bonifant those responsible would need several hundred doses. The gnome was small with a goatee, bright red hair and was about “ye high.” He then told them of Granny Applecakes, the old hag who had the ability to make it.

They left to go speak with Granny Applecakes, but made a stop at the Golden Pegasus to buy Triv a few more drinks. While there they ran into Zanaphia, the elf from the welcome booth way back at Summer’s End. The elf who turned into a giant eagle and flew away. She warned them that Granny Applecakes had a pension for making deals, and an appetite for children.

They ignored her warnings and headed out of the city. But they were stopped by a satyr who gave Rathal an offer of joining the House of Scales and a gift of his opponent’s magical items. Rathal accepted the gift but turned the offer down to join the house, at least for now.

On the road to Winter’s peak/the Hag’s house the old woman came crying for help. The same old woman who they had run into twice before and who had been hanging from a tree during their last encounter. Jarl decided that it was time to spring the trap. The group headed into the swamp in search of the woman’s baby. Rathal was able to find prints leading into the swamp, presumably from the slaves or the people from the bar. The party was able to find her ‘baby,’ a small goblin in a diaper hanging in a cage from a tree monster. The tree monster was quickly dispatched but the party was then assaulted by a Frogamoth. They killed it as well saved ‘Baby’ the goblin and traveled to the hag’s house. ‘Baby’ took gold from Jarl and then left the party to make it on his own. Rathal saw that Sinoqui was loosing her nerve and helped calm her

The party met with the hag and Jarl made a deal with her, offering his left hand for the prisoners. He then tried to abscond with them but the hag informed everyone that the deal was still good and that she’d collect the hand on a later day.

When they returned to winter’s peak, Jarl called Galendan a coward for not taking care of the hag while he had a chance. Rathal did his best to skip over a heated philosophical debate by giving the information that they had collected. He recounted the adventures and was then told that Madam Delacroix’s team would return tomorrow. The elf hand to Galendan advised that the Gnome’s name was Dimble Murnig, an attendant to prince Isolin who had been smuggling ingredients to various poisoners. The man behind poisoning Bonifant was named McGregor whom Jarl told Rathal was a dangerous crime lord who was most likely dead.

Now at the Nightmare Palace, our heroes needed to find a place to stay as they went about their business. Jarl, ever trusting new comer to the world that he is, talked to one of the first people he saw and paid him 30 gold so that the party might stay with him and eat at his table. The stranger pointed to a large gate and told Jarl it was his house. Jarl went to investigate, finding himself in the courtyard of the Nightmare Palace itself. He returned to speak with the stranger who had conveniently vanished into thin air.
After his escapade Rathal was able to convince the party to stay in the Golden Pegasus. When they entered they met Enith the golden Pegasus himself. He told them that he used to go on adventures and that his rider used to live in the Nightmare Palace (but conveniently left out the rider’s name). Enith used his share of the party treasure to purchase the Golden Pegasus Inn and is now the proprietor.
The party talked with one of the more permanent residents named Triv the bar dragon. The little drake told them that it was good luck to give him beer. Triv was helpful. He told the party that the house of scales were arrogant, prideful and personally take offense if you insult dragon magic. Some even thought they themselves were dragons. Triv wasn’t all help though. He tried to start a bar fight between the adventurers and the other patrons.
After a rest the party gathered together to discuss who would fight the House of Scales in one on one combat. They debated for a minute but no one seemed eager to risk their lives. In the end Rathal decided that he would challenge them. The party went to the house of scales and Rathal challenged the house to a duel. At first they were not even permitted entry as the guards did not think he was serious. But after a few well-placed insults the guards were eager to oblige. Rathal stepped into the ring and faced a green scaled dragon sorcerer. The battle lasted longer than anyone expected and a lot of spells were being cast all over the place. Finally, after a long hard fought battle, Rathal stood victorious over his opponent. The house was stunned. The party was surprised. Then clapping came from the front of the room as Maglor gleefully showed his enthusiasm for the battle that had just occurred. The Leader of the house of scales stood and asked Rathal what he wanted, honor bound to aid the winner of the duel ever so slightly. Rathal looked to his party urging them to take the lead so that he could catch his breath. Kanyr stepped forward and mentioned that they wanted information about the Fey Stone. Rathal quickly added that although it was true, being able to fight before the famed Dragon Rider was a reward in and of itself. Maglor stood and thanked the boy before him and then greeted his old friends but declined to have a private word. Maglor’s dragon invited them for a private word though and spoke with Jarl, Kanyr , Keryassa and Rathal where he gave them some warning not to get involved and, if they were still inclined, to at least choose the right side.
The Ranger and the rest of the party stayed back in the main room. The Ranger asked for Dathari’s help in figuring out who poisoned bonifant but Dathari had already tired of the nuisance that was this party and declined to help.
While leaving Jarl caught a glimpse of the stranger who had robbed him and before the stranger could run away Jarl pulled out some cross genre force grip maneuver and lifted the man into the air. He then forced the man to show him where he lived so that the party might come over for dinner. This time, after a bit of Force choking, he complied.
The party then went back to the Golden Pegasus where Rathal bought Triv a drink. He quickly became intoxicated and began to ramble about how the human and Elf lady in the corner were arguing about where to look for a Rabold, or Rathuci, or something like that. Concerned that these two strangers might be looking for him, Rathal changed into his persona Azcavil, and sat at the table next to them. After eavesdropping for a moment he was satisfied that they were not looking for him and were instead looking for a young half elf boy who was apparently taken by slavers. Azcavil informed them that he and his party had rescued a group of slaves headed towards Winter’s Peak and encouraged them by saying that he believed the boy was among those rescued and that the party had encouraged them to seek refuge at Winter’s Peak. After that Rathal changed back into himself, ate dinner and rested for the rest of the adventure.Jarl took, Kaeryassa, Jace and the sorcerer bested by Rathal, whom he had befriended in the bar, to dinner at the stranger’s house. A feast had been laid out but the party was suspicious because the host would not eat. After threatening to force feed it down his throat he admitted it was poisoned. At this point something snapped in Keryassa and she advised their host Adran the Elf that because he had betrayed them twice he would pay dearly. Adran gave Jarl his coins back while Keryassa and Jace robbed the crap out of his store, stealing potions of all varieties from his shelves. Adran now fearing for his life even warned them that some of the vials labeled health potions were really vials of poison. Jarl advised Adran that the party would return the following day to speak with him and that if he weren’t there he would be found and gutted. He was there the next day ready to answer the party’s questions.

Our heroes took the night and stayed at Winter’s Peak, taking some much needed down time. The ranger had a private discussion with his sister.

The adventurers departed from Winter’s Peak with Kanyr by their side. They traveled along the same route they came from and found the old woman who tried to lead them astray from the path hanging from a tree. Jarl insisted on having her buried. When they cut her down though she disappeared and the party was ambushed by several banderhobbs.

After slaying the banderhobbs, the party encountered a group of slavers whom Jarl decided to deprive of their wares. He freed the slaves, the party killed the slavers, and Jarl tried to befriend the cyclops. Kanyr tried to kill one of the enslaved dragonborn because Kanyr thought the dragonborn was lying about the reason he was enslaved. Jarl teleported the slaves away to safety. Kanyr was quite upset but nothing could be done and so he stormed off down the trail.

When the Party made camp, Kanyr told of his wintery foray with wyrms that and he was the only survivor. In exchange for this feat of heroism, he received a dragon slaying sword (one that would’ve been nice to have before fighting the wyrms).

The adventurers arrived at the Nightmare Palace and, despite the many warnings to watch their backs and not make a scene, Jarl decided to get a new wardrobe. He went into a store and bought pants. (No really. Pants. (He also got a black and white outfit with red trim and a red cape)). The adventurers then moved on and booked several rooms in “The Golden Pegasus.” Several other party members went potion shopping.

Fearful of what the next day might hold, the party settled down to rest. Who would challenge the House of Scales to battle? Would they prevail? Would they even survive?

Our heroes left Summer’s End and headed toward the Nightmare Palace. Along the way they changed course and headed toward Winter’s Peak instead.
• On the path they met the girl from the welcome desk. She attempted to join them saying that, “she had nothing better to do.” The heroes found her unsettling and after some time of trying to decipher her true intention, Rathal attempted to change her into a wooden toy. He failed and she then turned into an eagle and flew off.

• As they traveled the adventures were approached by an elderly woman human woman who said her grandchild had gotten lost in the swamp. The ranger seemed hesitant and even downright against helping her. Ularalu rushed in to help, Sinoqui ran to aid her and Rathal went to convince them to turn back. The ranger tried to use his Gem of Seeing to find it missing. The three returned with Ularalu seemingly changing her mind on a whim. The Human woman then disappeared.

• The party settled down from their travels and Rathal told them the story of how he had lost the only family he had ever known, the House of the Cloven Hooves. He told the story of how the House of Scales had swooped in and killed every last one of the Hooves. Rathal was the only survivor.

• The party arrived at Winter’s Peak and were greeted by an elf who showed them art and a tapestry that showed the future. The elf led them to a dining room where they found the half-elf Thari, The half-orc Grom, the dragonborn Heskan, and the human Idelle Delacroix.

• Their new/old friends said that they would help them figure out who poisoned Bonifant if the party would help find the Feystone by seeking out Maglor and finding out what he knew before he was able to find it. The easiest way to do that would be to infiltrate the House that was helping him. The House of Scales.

In Which We Meet Ammon

Our heroes left the ‘Summer Court’ to follow a lead about the poisoner given to them by Prince Isolin. Unfortunately this tip took them straight to the edge of the Summer’s Court realm to a small outpost called ’Summer’s End’. This outpost belonged to the Gloaming Court. What awaits inside for our heroes?

•On the way Rathal warned the party that there is the chance of an ambush before entering the outpost. Once inside the unspoken rule is people do not attack others. The ‘mysterious ranger’ conjured a spell so that the party could pass without a trace.

•Rathal changed his appearance to look like an old man and advised his companions to call him Azcavil. The mysterious ranger removed a white gem from his cloak and, rather conspicuously, looked upon Rathal before replacing the gem in his pocket.

•Inside the outpost Rathal approached a Halfling and “persuaded” him to gather information on the poison/poisoner for which the party searched. Then, the party met Ammon, one of Rathal’s friends from the past, and although concerned for the halfing’s feelings finally moved on and began asking questions.

•To Rathal’s chagrin, the peredhil named Jarl began asking everyone if they had poison and where they could get poison. He was continually turned away with strange looks and wary glances. Ularalu did learn that a copper dragon was in the gloaming court with a traveling companion from the bartender at the Screaming Spirits.

•Rathal was approached by two individuals representing two dragon riders, Maglor and Galendan, each interested in his Feystone necklace. Rathal turned both offers down. Here our heroes learned of the Feystone, a magical comet that fell down centuries ago. Fragments of this alleged comet are easily enchanted, and the comet’s crash site is lost to the ages. The party became greatly intrigued by the notion of a powerful magical comet and decided that they wanted to learn more.

•When the party rested, they were attacked in their rooms. The enemies were quickly dealt with, but there was no insignia to say who the attackers might be.

•After they slept Rathal met with Hazchin the Halfing again in the Screaming Spirits. Hazchin gave him information, saying that the provider of poison probably was someone who would fit in at the Summer Court. A creature that would be able to walk around without suspicion. He also informed them that the queen of the Gloaming Court may have a piece of the Feystone.

•The team, almost unanimously, decided that they wanted to travel to the Gloaming Court in search of the Feystone. The Ranger was the only one concerned with avenging the plight of Bonifant.

In which we meet Rathal and Lucian

Our heroes are invited to appear before Queen Titania to explain why they have come to The Summer Court. But first, they have some time to kill, so they go shopping. Ularalu buys a pixie-sized necklace and a small diamond so she can cast Chromatic Orb. Jace peruses various books.

It’s time for the audience with Titania! Inquisitive courtiers gather around as Maximilien Delacroix tells Titania that he and his friends have come because they’ve heard so many good things about the craftsmanship in this realm. Titania asks if there’s anything in particular they’re interested in, but no one wants to reveal any more in public. Jace asks for a private audience, the mysterious ranger apologizes for the wizard’s forwardness, and Titania politely declines. The courtiers snicker at the newcomers’ awkwardness.

After the audience is over, our heroes are approached by an elf and a pixie, both clad entirely in black. They introduce themselves as Fafnir and Belladonna, emissaries of the Gloaming Court. They offer to help, claiming that unlike the courtiers of The Summer Court, they will be straightforward. Our heroes decline their offer, and Fafnir makes a few ominous remarks before leaving. Ularalu and Jace ask Sinoqui Amakiir to show them the Nahre Lotus pools. The mysterious ranger remains behind.

The Nahre Lotuses are as beautiful as advertised. The broad leaves of the Nahre Lotus stretch approximately 3 feet long and 2 feet across at their widest point, and its blossoms frequently reach the size of a man’s head. The leaves are emerald green and refract light much like gently moving water. The petals on the Nahre blossom, which has no stalk but rather rests directly on the leaves, are a brilliant pink and gold, like clouds during a tropical sunset. An elderly faun approaches Jace, and begins to speak to him about the lotus plants, his life’s work. Jace listens eagerly for several hours.

Meanwhile, the mysterious ranger seeks out other residents of the prime material plane. He finds a human, who is initially quite friendly, but when the ranger refuses to give his name, his new friend’s disposition quickly turns cold. The ranger looks around for someone else to talk to. Shenal Liadon approaches. The elf is concerned that the ranger and his friends will damage the wilderness when they go exploring. Shenal offers to provide guidance, and invites the ranger to his learning center. Maximilien declines the offer, and says he does not intend to leave town.

Yet another character approaches our mysterious ranger. This one introduces himself as Prince Isolin, and offers to help with our heroes quest. The ranger politely declines the offer, with the excuse that he needs to consult with his friends first.

Meanwhile, Ularalu has grown tired of hearing Jace and the faun talk about plants. She lies down to sleep. Suddenly, she is awakened by a tap on the shoulder. It’s her old pixie friends, Mustard and Peaseblossom! They ask her how she’s doing and if she’s still lighting things on fire. The conversation turns judgemental very quickly. “Fire hurts people. It’s not the pixie way.” say Ularalu’s well-meaning friends.

The mysterious ranger hears a mysterious voice in his head. “Follow me to find out more,” it says. The ranger goes and gathers his friends. Ularalu is happy for an excuse to leave, but Jace says he will take a different path, and continues talking to his new friend about horticulture.

The pixie and the ranger are led to a secluded area of the Summer Court. “When you need me, I will be there,” says the voice.

Our heroes are in a hard spot. No villainous figure has jumped out from behind a bush, chortling and clutching a bottle of poison. There are no trustworthy NPCs to get orders from, except for Sinoqui, and she isn’t being very helpful. There isn’t even an Uncle Paco’s to go to. Perhaps sensing their dilemma, Prince Isolin stops by again. He lets it slip that he is the son of Titania and Oberon. This earns him a small bit of credibility, and our heroes listen to him instead of find excuses to ignore him. They even tell him that they are looking for whomever poisoned their city. He says that only a member of the Gloaming Court could have done such a dastardly deed. Perhaps if they went to the nearest Gloaming Court outpost and asked around, they could find out more. But before they venture into the wilderness, they should visit Shenal’s learning center. They might learn something.

Shenal kindly teaches the heroes how to dig a latrine and construct a lean-to. They decline further lessons. Shenal assigns a fellow member of his order, an elf by the name of Lucian, to go with the party, and help them navigate the wilderness in a caring way.

Our heroes set out toward the outpost. They meet a young, elven boy playing the flute in the middle of the woods. The boy introduces himself as Rathal and offers to be a guide through the forest.

The forest gradually turns into swampland. As the party wades through the marsh, they come across three beautiful singing women. They invite the party to join them, but Lucian and Rathal are not fooled. They know that these women are sirens, and lure unwary travelers to their doom. Our heroes try to pass by, but the sirens will not let them. In the fierce battle, Ularalu and the mysterious ranger are both trapped by flower nets and stabbed repeatedly. They collapse from their injuries, but the others rescue them before they bleed out. With the sirens dead, our heroes find a place to rest and regroup.

In which Lucas returns from not being gone at all

Sinoqui Amakiir tells the PCs that she has a lead on how Ravenous obtained their poison. She believes they had assistance from someone in The Summer Court, which is located deep in the Feywild. “You can come along if you want,” she says.

She goes on to explain that the quickest way to get to the Feywild is to travel to the Paladin Peaks, climb Mount Agamand, and wait as the mountain shifts into the Feywild as the moon comes up. “The mountains are inhospitable. Make sure you’re prepared,” she warns.

Our heroes begin making the necessary preparations. Ularalu has something else to do. She’s spent the past two weeks working at the Temple of Torm orphanage, atoning for setting their gate on fire. She also donates a large sum of money to repair the gate, as well as the beds that Keryassa Flameheart destroyed. Now that she feels that she’s made up for her previous actions, she asks Father Alexandre Anders to resurrect Keryassa. She provides him with a yellow diamond she got from Lucas.

Father Anders warns Ularalu that there is a earth elemental trapped inside this diamond. He cannot predict what effect this will have on the spell. Ularalu tells him to press ahead. Father Anders nods and proceeds. “I beseech you, Torm, please return this woman to this mortal plane.” He holds the diamond out over Keryassa’s body. With a flash of light, the diamond is consumed, and Keryassa’s eyes blink open. Ularalu is overjoyed to see her. Keryassa is momentarily disoriented, but soon gains her bearings. She says she will need to stay at the orphanage and rest for a while. Dying is quite the ordeal, after all.

The next morning, our heroes set out for the Paladin Peaks. After a three day journey, they reach the foot of Mount Agamand. In the morning, our heroes begin their ascent. Despite a few hairy moments, they reach the summit with hours to spare. They enjoy a afternoon of watching the rain clouds below them.

As the moon rises, the world appears to shift. The wind picks up and kicks up clouds of snow. As it dies down, our heroes find themselves in a different landscape. What was already a breathtaking view is now a dizzying vista. The moon and stars shines down with a dazzling brilliance, illuminating the area with razor sharp shadows. The air feels crisper, the snow feels colder. Everything seems sharper and more alive. Our heroes have arrived in the Feywild.

Having passed through the veil between the material plane and the plane of Faerie, our heroes begin their descent down Mount Agamand. As they pass below the treeline, the roads, paths, and trails begin to twist and turn back on themselves. Small avalanches of snow intermittently fall, blocking paths. Even our mysterious ranger begins to be uncertain of the way. He does not lose his head, however, and leads his companions out of the frozen woods into a clearing.

This clearing is littered with frozen corpses. As our heroes approach, they rise from the ground and attack! Although they pose little danger for our battle-hardened heroes, the same cannot be said of the group of elves on the far side of the clearing. Our heroes rush to protect the weak. They manage to save all but one of the elves.

The elves have obviously been lost in this frozen wasteland for some time, and have been driven mad by hunger. Some begin carving chunks of flesh off of their fallen companion. Two others advance on their rescuers, swords drawn. “Give us your food,” they demand. Our heroes comply. Their questions are rebuffed by demands for more food. The elves eat until the point of vomiting.

With a sudden realization, Jace declares that this must be the work of a bheur hag. These cruel creatures delight in the desparate, wicked actions mortals take when faced with extreme cold. Almost on cue, a raging blizzard kicks up, and canine howl rend the air.

The party is set upon by two enormous white wolves. The storm and the low visibility that comes with it proves problematic. In the midst of this chaos, a wizened figure emerges from the snowstorm. Her skin is blue-white, like that of a person who has frozen to death. Her hair is pale white, and she is emaciated, as if she were a person who had survived winter by eating bark and leather. Her eyes are pale and surrounded by dark, bruise-colored flesh. She carries a twisted grey wooden staff. Cackling evilly, she calls down an ice storm on our heroes. They manage to avoid the brunt of the assault, but the unfortunate elves are crushed beneath chunks of ice. Our heroes do not mourn the loss of their cannibalistic “friends.”

Lucas’ snake wraps itself around the hag, slowly crushing it. The hag pushes it away with a wall of ice, but by this time her wolf allies are slain, so she turns to flee. Mounting her greystaff, she rises into the air. Lucas gives pursuit on his broom. The witch’s delight at making her escape turns to dread as she sees the cleric in hot pursuit. A combination of Lucas’ fireball and Sinoqui’s bow bring the hag crashing to the ground, dead.

Unfortunately, the hag’s staff proves unusable by a non-hag. Our heroes burn the corpses and continue onwards. In a few days, they reach the Summer Court. Figuring his ship must be ready by now, Lucas says farewell, and takes a portal back to Bonifant.